SandMan
Race Dog
- Joined
- Jun 27, 2007
- Messages
- 911
- Reaction score
- 0
- Location
- Gaborone, Botswana
- Bike
- KTM 950 Adventure
Day 1.
It was 10:30 before Suzy (aka KTM 950 ADV) and I arrived at the Bray border post.
We had left Gabs just after 6 that morning and had already had our initiation straight off the bat into this trip. In true Bots style we hit the 2 spoor sand! :ricky:
While chatting to the Bots border officials, they informed me that not too long ago they had to go fetch a chap that had fallen hard on a “bigger bike” than mine. That can only be a 1200GS! Anyhow, they said he had suffered permanent brain damage. Not cool!
I crossed into SA and resumed my trip across the Khalahari. But first I stopped for a lekker Khalahari pizza.
I road past Vorstershoop and through the Molopo Nature Reserve and down into the Molopo riverbed. I had done the Molopo from Van Zylsrus towards Namibia before and this time I wanted to do the upper part. Well most of it anyway.
Following the border fence in the riverbed I made my way down to McCarthy’s Rest.
I jumped over the fence into Bots and took a pick of Suzy waiting patiently in SA.
Not too far past this border post and a couple of gates on it happened…… a mother screw right through my back tyre! Go figure.
So the repairs in the middle of know where began and let my mistake be a lesson to others. I did not manage to break the bead and I should’ve tried harder! Instead I forced the tyre off without breaking the bead. By doing this I damaged the metal bead inside the tyre (I did not realize this at the time). The repair went on and I eventually had the bike ready to go again. I decided to back track 20km of riverbed as opposed to 80km forward and get onto gravel and set course for Van Zylsrus.
I hit the gravel which was like a highway. The sun was starting to set so I twisted Suzy’s ear a bit. This is when the bead in the tyre, that I had unknowingly damaged, failed and the tyre came off the rim at 150km/h. Well let’s just say that Suzy and I both shat ourselves, but she fought back with me and we managed to keep it under control! Once I had stopped and inspected the tyre I realized what had happened. (sorry no pics, I was too busy swearing and forgot about the camera)
The tube did not puncture and I deflated it and reseated the tyre on the rim and pumped it up again. The next hour and a half I repeated this procedure as the tyre kept derailing. There was also no cell reception the whole time, so I could not call for help. After 12 and a half hours on the road I had had enough and it was just about dark. I pulled into a farm 40km short of Van Zylsrus and asked if I could spend the night. I had a whole house to myself that night, but that damn thing was haunted! Man those old houses can make funny noises during the night! I was so tired that even the ghosts could not keep me awake.
It was 10:30 before Suzy (aka KTM 950 ADV) and I arrived at the Bray border post.
We had left Gabs just after 6 that morning and had already had our initiation straight off the bat into this trip. In true Bots style we hit the 2 spoor sand! :ricky:
While chatting to the Bots border officials, they informed me that not too long ago they had to go fetch a chap that had fallen hard on a “bigger bike” than mine. That can only be a 1200GS! Anyhow, they said he had suffered permanent brain damage. Not cool!
I crossed into SA and resumed my trip across the Khalahari. But first I stopped for a lekker Khalahari pizza.
I road past Vorstershoop and through the Molopo Nature Reserve and down into the Molopo riverbed. I had done the Molopo from Van Zylsrus towards Namibia before and this time I wanted to do the upper part. Well most of it anyway.
Following the border fence in the riverbed I made my way down to McCarthy’s Rest.
I jumped over the fence into Bots and took a pick of Suzy waiting patiently in SA.
Not too far past this border post and a couple of gates on it happened…… a mother screw right through my back tyre! Go figure.
So the repairs in the middle of know where began and let my mistake be a lesson to others. I did not manage to break the bead and I should’ve tried harder! Instead I forced the tyre off without breaking the bead. By doing this I damaged the metal bead inside the tyre (I did not realize this at the time). The repair went on and I eventually had the bike ready to go again. I decided to back track 20km of riverbed as opposed to 80km forward and get onto gravel and set course for Van Zylsrus.
I hit the gravel which was like a highway. The sun was starting to set so I twisted Suzy’s ear a bit. This is when the bead in the tyre, that I had unknowingly damaged, failed and the tyre came off the rim at 150km/h. Well let’s just say that Suzy and I both shat ourselves, but she fought back with me and we managed to keep it under control! Once I had stopped and inspected the tyre I realized what had happened. (sorry no pics, I was too busy swearing and forgot about the camera)
The tube did not puncture and I deflated it and reseated the tyre on the rim and pumped it up again. The next hour and a half I repeated this procedure as the tyre kept derailing. There was also no cell reception the whole time, so I could not call for help. After 12 and a half hours on the road I had had enough and it was just about dark. I pulled into a farm 40km short of Van Zylsrus and asked if I could spend the night. I had a whole house to myself that night, but that damn thing was haunted! Man those old houses can make funny noises during the night! I was so tired that even the ghosts could not keep me awake.
